Chain-link wire fabric



Patented Dec. 9, 1930 PATENT OFFICE I ARTHUB A. G; LAND, OF CHICAGO, I'LLINOIS CHA'INeLINK FABRIC Appncamn fiiarember 7, 1928. serial Np. 324,484.

My invention relates to interWoven Wire fabrics of the so-called Chain-link type, and in one of its general objects aims to provide inexpensive, easilytmanufactured and unitary Wire fabrics of this type in Which different portions of the fabric have different sizes of mes'h openings. Furthermore, my invention aims to provide main Wire strands adapted to be interwoven by a relative spiral ie advancing movement and designed to afford portions .of a Chain-link type of Wire fabric in Which parts of consecutively disposed main strands interWeavel directly to form relatively large meshes, and aimsV to provide secondary Wire strands of the Chain-.link type designed for coope'rating With other parts of the main strands in forming the smaller meshes.

Moreover, my inventionV aims to provide in- 29 terWoven Wire fabrics of the Chain-link type affording different sizes of openings in different longitudinal roWs of meshes, and aims to accomplish this While employing Wire strands, some of Which strands eXtend for the entire Width of the fabric.

In employing Wire fabrics for many purposes7 it is desirable to have the meshes in one part of the fabric smaller thanjthose in another part of the fabric, and With the so- 30 called chain-link type of fabrics this could heretofore'be accoinplished only by connecting a plurality of Vseparately manufactured Wire fabrics having nieshes of the desired different sizes.

For example, in a Wire fence around a poultry yard, a relatively small size of mesh is needed for the loWer' portion of. the fence to prevent the poultry from getting out of the yard, While a considerably larger niesh Would be ample for the higher portion of the fence Wliich serves to keep out boys and other tres' passers. v

' Since ordinarychain-link Wire strands Will only afford a uniform size of mesh, it has beenV necessary for poultry fencing either to usev a. fence having needlesslyrsmall meshes in its upper and major portion (and hence involving a needlessly high cost oWing to the large amount of Wire required for it and 0W- ing also to the cost of interweaving a needvtions of a Wire fence around 'the yard of a dinaryuser of such a fence does not make either a secure or a neat job of thus interconnecting tWo fence portions, the resulting fence is apt to be both'insecure and unsightly, besides requiring considerable additional laboi' forconnecting the tWo Wire mesh portions of the fence. i a

Similar situations arise With Wire fabrics needed for many other purposes. For eX-` ample, the mesh'needed for the` upper porfactory, or around a garden, could be much larger than the meshes required for the lower portions of the same fence. Indeed, a saving of about tWenty percent in the cost of the needed Wire could be made if a single fabric affording these different sizes of meshes could be obtained. i l

h/ ly present invention aims to provide relatively simple, easily manufactured andeconomical Wire fabrics for such purposes. lt also aims to provide a Wire fabric construction Which readily permits portions of the fabric to have meshes diifering in size from the meshes in otherportions of the fabric, thereby producing'ornamental effects Which here tofore could not be obtained With Chain-link` 'Wire fabrics. Furthermore, my invention aims to provide a construction for Chain-link fabrics Which Will pei'mit of Wide variations in the size of the ineshes in different parts of the fabrics, and which Will permit. meshes of different sizes to be employed in variously disposed parts of the fabric.

Generally speaking, I accomplish theobjects lof my invention by making fabrics nom- 9G posed either mainly or entirely of main and secondary zigzag strands all of Which may be fiattened spirals in their general form With the main strands corresponding in length to the Width of the proposed fabric, While the secondary strands are shorter and correspond in their lengths to the Width of the proposed small-meshed part of the fabric. Each secondary strand hasits zigzag formations of uniform length and spread; and each main strand has minor zigzag formations of sim-V ilar spread and length extendingfor a part of the main strand which corresponds lapproximately iii length to that of one of tlie secondary strands, so that these parts of the main strands can have the secondary strands interposed between them. Each main strand also has another part (and for many' fabrics` its entire remaining part) pi'efoi'ined into major zigzag formations which interweave i in the consecutive main strands, each of these forinations having Va spread which has a definite arithmetical relation to the spread main strand, the meshesbeing' all of uniform of the fabric.

of one of its said minor zigzag formations.

Illustrative of embodiments of my invention, Fig. 1 is an elevation? of a'fragment .of a fabric `in which'twosecondai'y Vstrands are disposed between the minor zigzagged'portions of two 'consecutive' main strands, each of thesetwo `secondary strands being interwoven' with the other secondary strand andv also with the minor zigzagged poi'tionof one ig.'2 shows a fragment of a Vfa'bric in "which two secondary strands are also disposed between the minor zigzagged portions ofevery twoconsecutive main strands, but in which the'meshes inthe minor portions are of less height than those in the major 'portions Fig. 3 andFig. 4 are fragmentary elevationsl of two fabrics 'in which the secondary strands interposed between the minor Azigzagged portions of two, consecutive main strandsva'ry in number in different parts of the'small-meshed section of'the fabric, and in Vwhich the main' strands do not interweave with each other in Fig. 5 'shows a fragmentof a'wire fahi'ic.

similar to that of Fig. 4, Vbut with certain secondary strands :tei'minating at 'a' greater distance from' the major zigzagged Vportions of the main strandsthan in Fig. 4. f

Fig.. 6 shows a fragment, of a wire fabfic of, similareonstruction to thatof Figi, but

in which ;the'maj or strands havea poi'tion of' major bzigzag formation inter-posedbetween two portions of minor zigzagformation.

Fig'.V 7 is a fragmentary elevation of a wire i fabric inwhich non-consecutive pairs of main tivelyism'al strands are continued beyond their major zigzagged 1poi'tions to form meshes of relathese smaller meshes. w

i zigzag portion of the same major strand.

glowever, the effective width W of the major this small-meshed section rwidtli, and in which interwoven z secondary strands are interposed between zig'zag formationsl afpproximately twice that of the width W1 o each of the minor zigzagformations 2; These miiior zigzag formations 2 in each two consecutive major strands are connected by two relatively Vintertwisted secondary strands 3 each of which is formed as the counterpart of the minor zigzagged portion/of a major strand, thereby interposing''v two relatively intertwisted secondrystrands 3 between the minor portions of two conseciitive major strands. The lower ends Vof all of the 'conseci'itiye minor zigzagged wire'portions in the'fabric of Fig. '1 are intertwisted, `as also the upper ends of each pair of secondary strands interjposed between two major strands.

constructed,l the Vresulting' `wire fabric has Thusl ineshes o'funiform length; but the meshes in w the lower portion are of approximately one-` half the width of thosein the upper portion, so that such aV fabric will readily form a unitary` and cheaper substitute for the two separate fabrics heretofore employed as (in fences forpoultry ruiiways) where the lower partH of .the fence requires smaller meshes than those which are amplel for, higher parts of thefence;V i.` g In making such a fabi'ic, the vwiretfor each strand is firstbent into a flattened spiral fori mation after the General manner of the strands used for ma ingordinary VChain-link Wire fabrics,and the ma'or ;portionsof the consecutive main stran s are interlocked with each other by a relative spirallyadvanci ing`V movement .of `one strand lengthwise: `;of

the., minor zigzagged poi'tions ofeach Atwo ioc the preceding majoi'strands; This leaves g consecutivefmain strands freely spaced trans- I versely of thelongitudinal axi'sX of each inain'str'and, or spaced longitudinally of the fabric. Then the secondary strands 3 are interPoSed between the minor zigzagged portionsl of the consecutive main strands, and interlinked with each other and with adjacent; parts' of. the major strands by spirally vadvanciniglmovem'ent's toward` the major gzigz zagged portions of ;the main strands in a dii rection vwhichwould be upward in Fig. 1.

` Since the minor zigzagged portions ofthe consecutive main strands have amuchnar- V'rower S read thanthe major zigzagged porvtions'o the sainestrands', the presenceof these minor zigzag formations does'not interfere withthe initialintertwisting (o rsocalled interweaving) ofthese major-:Zig-` zaged portions of the main strands.

he'heights L of the minor Z igzag forma i i i tions are also immaterial, and 'may' be, considerablyhdifferent from theheight of the major zigzgag form'ations in the 'same main Vsame both vin Vthe minor zigza-g formations of'the mainV strands and in the secondary strands; g g V Indeed, this height may even'be different strand, lprovid'edthat this height L is the 1 ,C and D of minor strands.

:their upper ends will sulfice.

for'various parts of the minor zigzag portions. For example, in Fig. 2, the alternate major strands A each have uniformly small lower zigzag portions each comprising two `legs (or mesh sides) C of about half the length of the legs of each upper zigzag formation 1. Each maj or strand B which alternates with the'strands A has an additional long leg D extendng below the lowest of the long legs 1 in the strancs A, and one of every two secondary strands has a long upper leg E oorresponding` in length to the said legs 1 and D. As the result, the fabric of Fig.v 2 presents lower meshes of oapproximately onefourth the size of its upper meshes.

F ig. 3 shows a fabric formed of two main strands A and B alternating with each other and having counterpart major zigzag portions but slightly different minor portions, together with two slightly differing types Each main strand A has all of its minor zigzag formations 4' corresponding in length and width to ,all of the minor zigzag forinations of the minor strands C, this width being effectively one-third of the width of the major zigzag formations in the strands A. Each secondary sti'and D has all except the upper leg of its zigzag formations of the same length as those of the secondary strands C, and the portion of each main strand B below the large meshes of the fabric is a. counterpart of these secondary strands D.

In the fabric of Fig. Ll, the main strands vare all counterparts,and the upperniost legs 6'of the minor lzigzag forinations in consecutive main strands present bights directed toward each otlier, which bights are connected by two relatively interlinlred secfondary wires 7. Certain of the other secondary wires have uppermost legs 8 effectively'twice the length of the legs in all of the zigzag formations below these uppermost legs.

In the fabrics of Figs. 1 to 4, the upper endV of each secondary wire is intertwisted with the upper end of another secondary Wire, but for many purposes, an intertwisting of only part of the secondary wires at Thus, Fig. 5 shows a fabric in wiiichi adjacent pairs 8 'of the secondary wires are intertwisted at theirtupper 'ends, while the intervening pairs of secondary wires 9 have their up- "pei'V ends unsecured. Hence do not wisli to be limited as to the securing of'the ends of the secondary wires which are adjacent to the larger Vmesh-forming (or major Zigflzagged) poriions of the fabric.

Nor do I wish to be limited to the relative positions of the large and small nieshes infthe fahric, as the fabrics of Figs. 1 to 5 could ohviously be inverted. Indeed, my

invention can also be employed for fabrics having more than two different sizes of meshes in different portions thereof.

Thu-s, Fig. 6 shows a fabric in which each main strand has a major zigzag portion 14 interposed between two sti'and parts 14A and 14B of iniiioi' formation; the terms 1najoi' and minori7 being here used to designate the relative depth of the zigzag formations transversely of the str-and, or longitudinally of the resulting fabric.

In fabricating the fabric of F ig. 6, the consecutive main strands are first spirally twisted through each other to interloci; their said major parts lfll, while leaving the minor parts HA and 14B of the consecutive strands fi'eely spaced from each other. Then the upper secondary strands 15 (which coi'- respond in their Izigzag formations to the upper ininor parts 14A of the major strands) are intertwined with each other and with the said upper parts lof the major strands by a downward spiraling movement of these secondary strands, and the lower secondary strands 16 are similarly connected to each other and to the lower ininor parts 14B of the major strands by an upward spiraling mov-ement of the said lower secondary strands.

However, while I have heretofore described embodiments of my invention in which every inainstrand extends across the entiiie width of the fabi'ic, also do not wish to be limited in this respect, since a strength and rigidity ample for many purposes may be secured without having all of the main strands of the same length. For example, Fig. 7 shows a fragment of a fabric in which the alternate pairs of main strands 11 extend for the entire width of the fabric, while the interposed pair of main strands 12 are shorter andhave their lower ends respectively intertwisted with the upper ends of certain of the secondary strands 13.

Since suitable flattened spiral or other zigzag formations canA be cheaply formed in wires by available machinery, and since theV intertwisting or interlinking of such wires with the aid of available machines is also a speedy and inez-:pensive procedure, Chain-link wire fabrics can readily be consti'ucted according to iny invention to meet an endless variety of requirements as to the sizes and 'relative positions of the different meshes.

To simplfy a designing of such fabi'ics and the arranging of the tools for making the strands, I desirably dispose both the major and the minor zi'zagged portions of each main strand soithat their extreme bight edges at one side of the strand are all tangent tora single 'straight line, such asthe line S in F igs.

i 1V ando. However,'1 do not wish to be limited in this respect, nor limited to other de-V tailsV of the construction and arrangement here disclosed, since changes .may be made' without departing either from the spirit of lmyinvention or from the appended claims' i I am aware that Wire fabrics suitable for fencing. poultry yards and the like have heretofore been constructed with upper mesh portions larger than the .lower ones, by means of special machines which simultaneously form both 'sizes of meshessfrom strands extending longitudinallyof a fabric.v However, such fabrics require quite expensive machinery for their manufacture, require the adjacent strands .to be twisted several times around., each other at each juncture thercof, and also require the interposingof additional straight wiresbetween the'largeV meshed section and the vsmall-meshed section'of the strand. i 'Since Wire vfences usu'allyare only supported by v secutive strands directly 'interlinked in a porwidely spaced posts, an'ordinary chain link (or simple Vinterlinking of merely V-shaped bights) will not suflice When the strands extendhorizontally,zsince the strandswould not remain properly interlinked when one fence post tilts out of its initial position toward an adjacent one. Consequently, the adj acent strands have to be adjoined by twistswhich are only feasiblewith quite thin or unusually ducti'lefwires. VlVliatis more,Vlr such fabrics With longintertwists' between the adjacent strands cannot readily be rolled up for'compact'shipment, except when made of too small a size of Wire to alford the rigidity desired in' many cases.

My present mvention overcomes these ob- ]ections by formmg the fabrlc of strands extending transversely of the fabric or uprlght in an erected fence or grille, thereby permitting the use of snnple zlgzag or socalled Chain-V link strands which require no complicated and 'lhighly expensive maclimery for then' manufacture,` since they are separ'ately Vformed before they are assembled. In` the tionvof the fabric, certain of the main strands presenting non-contiguous zigzagged portions in consecutive strands in another portion of thegfabric; and secondary strands interposed between the said non-contiguous portions of the said mainstrands. i,

2. A chain-linkwire Vfabric as'per claim l,

in which eachof vthe :main strands Vhas the bights of all'of its'zigzag ed formations inV alinement longitudinal'ly `o the'strand at one edgeV of the strand.

3. A Chain-'link wire fabricformedof interlinked zigzagged strands comprising main` strands having the zigzag portions of consecutive strands'directly interlocked in a portion of the fabric, certain of the main strands A presenting non-contiguous `zigzagged portions-m consecutlve strands m another Vportion of the fabrlc; and secondary strandsV mterposed between the said non-contiguous portions of the said main strands, the seconda-ry strands being substantially equal 'in' length to the non-contiguous portions of the said 'certain main-strands.) o

4.- A Chain-link Wire fabricV comprising zigzagged Wire strands phavin parallel axes,

Vthe fabric having a large mes ed part thereof formed by the directly intertwisted Widely' zgzagged portions of consecutive main strands each offwhlch strands also has another relatively narrower zigzagged portion 'the fabric having a smaller meshed part thereof com'posed of the said narrowed zig-j zagged portions of the main strands in conjunction With secondary strands corresponding in ;their zigzagged formation to the said narrower zigzagged portions of the main strands. i

5. A chain-link Wire faloric` aifording meshes of two different sizes in different sections extending side byV side longitudinally of the fabric, the said fabrictcomprising intertwisted zigzagged Wire strands all having? f their axes tra-nsverse of the fabric,l including main strands having Wide counterpart zigzaggedV longitudinal portions directly interltwisted in consecutive strands to form Wide rneshes,V the main strands also having narrower counterpart zigzagged longitudinal portions, and secondary strands interposed between and interlinked with the said narrower portions of consecutive main strands and with one another to form narrower meshes. o

6. A strand for a Chain-link Wire fabric compris'ingl a fiattened spiral presenting major 'counterpart zigzag'formations in' one longitudinal portion thereof, and presenting minor 'counterpart zigzag Vformationsv of less width 'in another longitudinal portion of the strand,the widths of Vthe zigza formations in each of the said two `stran portions being substantiallya multiple of a common distance. V I

7 A strand for a chain-link Wire Vfabric c'omprising a flattened spiralpresenting mag jor counterpart zigzag formations in'one longit-udinal portionV thereof, |and presenting minor counterpart zigzag formatons of less' width in another lon itudinal portion of'the I strand, all of the said zigzag formations in the strand'having the bightsthereof a'lining` longitudinally of the strand at one edge of the strand.

8. A strand for a chain-link Wire fabric comprising a flattened spiral presenting maj or counterpart zigzag' formations in one longitudinal portion thereof, and presenting minor counterpart zigzag formations of less width in another longitudinal portion of the strand, the Widths of the zigzag formations in each of the said tWo strand portions being substantially a multiple of a common distance, the Widths of the zigzag formations in the major portion of the strand being an eX- act digital multiple of the width of the zigzag formations in the minor portion of the Strand.

9. A strand for a Chain-link Wire fabric comprising a flattened spiral presenting major counterpart zigzag formations in one long'itudinal portion thereof, and presenting minor counterpart zigzag formations of less width in another longitudinal portion of the strand, the Widths of the zigzag formations in each of the said tWo strand portions being substantially a multiple of a common distance, the major zigzag formations having a common longitudinal aXis, and the minor zigzag formations having a common longitudinal aXis parallel to but laterally offset from the aforesaid axis.

10. A Chain-link Wire fabric composed of spirally intertwisted main strands each of which main strands has a zigzag portion directly interlinked With a similarly formed zigzag portion in the next consecutive main strands, the consecutive main strands also presentin' non-contiguous portions of counterpart narrower zigzag formations than those of their aforesaid portions, and a. relatively larger number of secondary strands corresponding substantially in length and in zigzag formations to the non-contiguous portions of the main strands, the said secondary strands and the said non-contiguous portions of the main strands being relatively interlinked to form a fabric portion having smaller meshes than those formed by the direct interlinking of the first-named zigzag portions of the main strands.

11. A Chain-link Wire fabric comprising main strands extending for the entire width thereof, the consecutive main strands having counterpart Widely zigza-gged portions direotly interlinked to form large meshes, the said mam strands also having secondary counterpart zigzag portions of narroWer formation disposed in another part of the said strands and non-contiguous in the consecutive strands, and secondary strands corresponding in length and formation to the secondary zigzag portions of the main strands, a plurality of the secondary strands cooperating With the said zigzag portions of the main strands to form a cham-Wire link fabric part of 'smaller mesh than the said large meshes.

19. A Chain-link Wire fabric comprising inain strands having Wide counterpart portions of Wide zigzag formation and secondary Vconnterpart portions of narroWer zigzag formation, the consecutive main strands having their said Wide portions interlinked and each having its secondary portion spaced from the secondary portion of an adjacent strand;

and-1ninor strands each having zigzag formacounterpart mainstrands each having a Wide portion of `Wide zigzag formation and a secondary portion of narroW zigzag formation; the Wide portions of consecutive strands having their bights interlinked; and minor strands interposed vbetween secondary portions of consecutive main strands, the said minor strands and secondary portions ofl main strands being interlinled in the usual Chain-link manner to form a fabric section With narrower meshes than those formed by the Wide portions of the main strands. i

14. A Chain-link fabrio comprising counterpart main strands each having a Wide portion of Wide zigzag formation and a secondary portion of narrower zigzag formation, the width of the Wide zigzag formations being a m'nltiple of the Width of the narrow'en` zigzag formations; and the portions of consecutive strands having bights interlinked; and minor strands counterpart to and inter'- poed between secondary portions of the main strands, the said minor strands and secondary portions being ccnsecutively interlinked to form narroWer meshes than those formed by the Wide portions of the main strands.

15. A Chain-link Wire fabric composed of preformed and spirally intertwisted zigzaged strands; comprising main strands having the zigzag portions of consecutive strands directly interlinked in a portion of the fabric, certain of the main strands presenting non-contiguous zigzagged portions in consecutive strands in another portion of the fabric; and interlinked secondary strands interposed between the said non-contiguous portions ofthe said main strands and directly interlinked With the said non-contiguous portions being consecutively interlocked to 16. A Chain-link Wire fabric composed of preformed and spirally intertwisted zigzag'ed strands; comprising main strands having the zigzag portions of consecutive strands directly intertwisted in a portion of the fabric, certain of the main strands presenting non-contiguous zigzagged portions in onsecntve strands in `Emother portion of the jfabric; andecondary strands interposed Vbetwcen the said non-contiguous portions of the sai'dlman strands,the secondary strands being intertwistedwith each other and with the said w i non-contiguou's' Vportions of the main strands,'

a the lsecondary strands being msubstantially i eqn'alin'length to the non-contig'uous portions of the'said certain main strands.V

1 17. Ac Chain-link Wire `fabric composed of spiral strands flattened to a zi zag formation presenting1-rsimp1e U-shaped w ights at each edge ofeach strand; comprising main strands extending for the entire widthof the fabric,

i the consecutive mainV strands having counter'- part widely zigvzaggedrportions disposed with the bights' in'adjacent strands directly intertwisted to form large meshes, the :said main strands alsohaving secondar counterpart .z'igzag portions` of Vnarrower ormation disposed in another` part of the said strands and non-contiguous in consecutive strands; and a )lurality of secondary strands corresponding m lengthV and formation to the secondary zigzag portions of the main strands, some of the secondary strands having the bights at i one edge thereof interlinked With the bights I i i of the secondary portions of main strands,

and other secondary Vstrands being intertwisted'with two of the last-named secondary i strands, so that the secondary strands cooperatewith 'the' secondary portionsV of the main Vstrands in forming a Chain-Wire link fabric ortion ofedsmaller mesh than the aforesaid Larger meshes.v a 1 Signedv at Chicago, Illinois, November 30th,

1928. I c i a ARTHUR A. G. LAND.A 

